Recovery from liver surgery depends on a few factors: the scope of the operation, the size of the incision and your general health. The average hospital stay after a major hepatectomy is five to six days. For a small liver resection, you can expect to remain at the hospital for three to four days.
After the patient is put to sleep with general anesthesia, anywhere from three to seven small incisions are made to remove the liver mass. Depending on the number and locations of the lesions, and how much liver needs to be removed, the procedure can take anywhere from one to seven hours.
We perform this surgery to remove all types of liver tumors, including benign liver tumors, metastatic liver cancer and rare bile duct cancer. In some cases, a surgeon may need to remove additional tissues, such as nearby bile duct tissue or lymph nodes. Liver resection surgery is a major, complicated surgery.
Your belly will be sore after liver resection. This usually lasts about 1 to 2 weeks. You may also have nausea, diarrhea, constipation, gas, or a headache. You may have a low fever and feel tired and sick to your stomach.
After a big operation, you may wake up in the intensive care unit or a high dependency unit. You usually move back to the ward within a day or so. This information is for people who are having part of their liver removed. Your doctor might call this a liver resection or a lobectomy.
Recovery from liver surgery depends on a few factors: the scope of the operation, the size of the incision and your general health. The average hospital stay after a major hepatectomy is five to six days. For a small liver resection, you can expect to remain at the hospital for three to four days.
After any operation there is a risk of bleeding. This is particularly the case with liver surgery as a lot of blood passes through the liver. Also, your liver normally makes substances that help your blood to clot. So any damage to the liver can cause problems with bleeding.
The majority of the studies reported hospital mortality less than 11.1 %. The overall survival after hepatic resection were 45 to 99 % (1 year), 17 to 84.2 % (3 years), and 10 % to 65 % (5 years).
This procedure, called a liver resection or partial hepatectomy, often extends life for patients with liver cancer. Unlike most of your other organs, the liver can regenerate after surgery, even if up to 70 percent is removed. However, the remaining portion must be healthy. Regrowth can take a few weeks to complete.
Weight loss after liver resection is most often a side effect of drastic necessary diet changes and should not be viewed as positive result of the surgery. Diet changes are meant to accomodate the recovery process and should return to normal as the patient recovers.
POST-HEPATECTOMY LIVER FAILURE
Liver failure is the most serious complication after liver resection and can be life-threatening[14,15].
Chemotherapy may also be used after surgery to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back. You usually have this treatment about 4 to 6 weeks after surgery. This gives your liver time to recover from the operation.
Examples of common surgeries include: Major liver resection. Right or left hepatectomy or lobectomy removes the right or left lobe (hemiliver). Minor liver resection: Segmental or wedge resection removes a segment or a part of a segment with a tumor with a margin around it.
At our institute, prophylactic drains are used in all patients undergoing liver resection, and usually removed from postoperative day (POD) 7 to 14.
Excess weight gain is common after liver transplantation. Maximum weight gain occurs in the first six months after transplant. Usually patients gain about 5 kg weight within the first year, and 10 kg by the end of three years. About 30% patients may become obese and develop metabolic syndrome.
Liver resection may be required for liver cancer or other diseases of the liver. This operation will vary depending on how much of the liver needs to be removed. After surgery, the liver is able to regenerate its own tissue, and you can expect to have a relatively good quality of life following surgery.
Although most benign liver tumors require no treatment, removal is an option for patients who have symptomatic tumors or tumors that have the potential to rupture or become cancerous. For patients with extensive, benign liver disease and incapacitating symptoms, transplantation also may be considered.
Tumor volume doubling time of HCC is approximately 4–5 months; however, there is heterogeneity in tumor growth patterns, including more aggressive patterns in Asian hepatitis B-predominant populations.
Resection means the total or partial removal of an organ. The liver's remarkable regenerative ability allows it to continue functioning, even when parts of it are removed. For people diagnosed with liver cancer, liver resection offers the best chance for cure or long-term survival.
The liver has a unique capacity among organs to regenerate itself after damage. A liver can regrow to a normal size even after up to 90% of it has been removed. But the liver isn't invincible. Many diseases and exposures can harm it beyond the point of repair.
Liver transplant can have excellent outcomes. Recipients have been known to live a normal life over 30 years after the operation.
Even though it might not be the cause of your liver issues, alcohol is one of the liver's biggest enemies, and you should avoid it for a while after your surgery. Alcohol can cause damage to your healing liver and delay your recovery.
a serious heart and/or lung condition, such as heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) a serious mental health or behavioural condition that means you would be unlikely to be able to follow the medical recommendations for life after a liver transplant.
It is a major operation and comes with surgical risks, like bleeding. Infections and bile duct complications are common after a liver transplant. You will need to take strong medicines to suppress your immune system. You may need further surgery to fix any problems.
Outlook / Prognosis
Many people recover from liver failure with treatment. If a transplant is necessary, most patients go back to their daily activities within six months. People who have received a transplant need lifelong medical care, including medications to prevent their body from rejecting the new organ.